The Rock River Valley may, in time, take up the banner to shut down puppy mills.

Winnebago County’s Public Safety Committee gathered Wednesday to explore the possibility of following Chicago’s lead and adopting legislation that would prevent pet stores from selling such commercially bred animals.

Committee member Dianne Parvin is a Realtor. She shared with an audience of about 20 that she was doing business in the region last year when she saw a “Puppies for Sale” sign.

After her open house, she returned to the residence. A man hesitantly opened the door, she said, and led her through a house that was extremely warm.

There, she saw dogs stacked in cages.

“It about made me sick,” Parvin said. “It was really sad to see, and I didn’t know what to do. But I did make a few phone calls.”

It could take months to determine whether the county can follow Chicago’s lead, a step that activists in the region are pushing for.

“My belief is that we can regulate fines and fees,” County Board member John Guevara said. “We can have a regulation over what inspections are going on where and ... be able to determine which breeders are legitimate.

“The rest of it, we have to talk to the state’s attorney. It’s worth getting this information on the record and getting folks on board with the idea.”

Representatives from the Rock River Valley’s legal and animal rights community were on Wednesday’s panel, which was available for questions from county officials.

Kathy Mehalko, director for Angels 4 Animals, was one of the panelists. She stood with activists in March outside the Boone County Courthouse when they protested puppy mills. Then she told the protesters she was taking the fight to Winnebago County.

She doesn’t plan to stop there.

“We can do it,” Mehalko said after Wednesday’s discussion. “We’re going to keep fighting until we do do it. We’re not going to stop here. In fact, I’m going to Springfield on May 7 to speak with the representatives up there about the importing of mill dogs and the running of puppy mills here in Winnebago County.”

Meanwhile, the Boone County activists have approached the Boone County Board and are gearing up for a presentation with the planning, zoning and building officials.

Brandy Semonich of Poplar Grove plans to present 11 demands, and she won’t budge on two of them: prevent the use of stackable cages and breeding more than two types of dogs.

Page 2 of 2 - She is not ready to approach state legislators.

“I really want to focus on what my county can do … without having to go through Springfield,” she said.

Yet she’d like to see a national stand against the large commercial dog-breeding operations that prevent proper nutrition, socialization and regular exercise for dogs.

Stephenson County hasn’t been formally approached.

“I’d be for stopping them, but I don’t see a problem,” said Kristin Laue, Stephenson County’s animal control officer. “I’m not saying (puppy mills) are not here. We just haven’t found them.”